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What can be molded from clay simply. A very detailed master class on creating a figurine from polymer clay

In order to start creating, you just need to purchase gray or white clay at the nearest store (costs about 60 rubles). All figures are created by rolling, stretching and squeezing out pieces of clay. Remember that clay is not plasticine. It is more durable, but you also need to handle it more carefully. After making the craft, you need to let it dry and then fire it. Firing at home, if you do not have a kiln, is almost impossible. But you can always bring the product to readiness by firing it in a tin over a fire.

To do turtle candlestick made of clay You will need a small piece of material and a minimum of effort. First, roll four balls that will serve as the turtle's legs. Then roll out a piece of clay into a sausage, which you twist into a ring. Make the bottom of the ring from a flattened clay ball. Select the size of the hole so that a regular candle in a metal stand fits into it. Now all that remains is to roll up the head and eyes of our craft. Then the product must be placed in a bag to allow it to dry. Fire the product over a fire, placing a tin can with a candlestick inside on a brick. Before you start painting the turtle, cover its surface with white enamel. But you can color the crafts made to your liking.

Do ladybug made of clay easy enough. You just need to understand that any complex structure consists of small simple parts. So our craft will consist of two flattened balls connected to each other, and several rolled out plates that will act as wings. On the back ladybug you need to make a small recess into which you can place decorative beads. Various materials combine well with clay, creating unusual and original products. So, for example, the antennae of our bug are made from wire. After the modeling is completed, it is necessary to fire, enamel and paint the craft. After coloring, cover the product with PVA glue, which will add a dazzling shine to the ladybug made from clay with your own hands.
Modern technologies do not stand still - polymer clay is great for creating a huge number of crafts from it. Due to its property of drying in air without firing, polymer clay has gained popularity among the most novice craftsmen and professionals. In order to do two adorable hippos from polymer clay You will need to thoroughly practice sculpting the simple torsos, legs and faces of these cute animals. The animals' eyes are made of beads, and the head of a hippo girl can be decorated with a flirty bouquet. If you do not want to paint your products, you can immediately choose polymer clay of a suitable color.
When you have already mastered the basics of modeling, you can go up one level of creativity and sculpt with your own hands original vase made of polymer clay. To do this, you will need a glass bottle, which will serve as the basis for the craft, as well as a vessel for water. Choose the main color and carefully stick around the bottle, smoothing out any excess clay that appears. Then roll a large number of multi-colored balls of various sizes. Now, by pressing, add the pieces to the overall composition. Be sure to remove any excess clay that appears to make the surface look smoother. Creating a vase from polymer clay is a long and complex process, but in the end you will receive a designer vase that will surprise everyone with its originality and design.

Clay remains a very popular material for making various crafts to this day. Children and adults enjoy immersing themselves in the modeling process, captivated by the opening spaces for realizing their own ideas. Choose a material that you like: gray, white or polymer clay - and start making your own crafts.

What can be made from polymer clay: search for materials + advantages of polymer clay + acquisition of tools for work + execution techniques + rules for mixing colors + examples of works from polymer clay.

Almost every girl or woman has some kind of hobby, with the help of which the fair sex temporarily forget about the accumulated problems at home and troubles at work.

Some knit, others embroider, others draw. If you want to try something new for yourself, while doing useful things, pay attention to polymer clay modeling.

In this article we will help you understand this direction of creativity, find out, and also introduce you to all the details of the sculpting process.

Finding polymer clay to make a product

The choice of material is based on the technique that will be used to create the product.

We'll talk about execution techniques a little later, but now let's decide where to buy polymer clay.

When choosing a thermoplastic, the guideline is based on the following criteria: price, quality, characteristics (with an eye to the purpose of the future product), territorial accessibility of the store.

You can purchase the necessary material in three ways:

in special pavilions for creativity or handicrafts;
in art salons;
in the online store.

If there are no stores in this area in the city, then the obvious option would be to order the necessary thermoplastic through an online store.

The following points are very popular in Russia:

https://rukodelnikov.ru
https://www.igla.ru
https://www.ozon.ru(there are also craft supplies here).

But besides those indicated above, there is another option for obtaining the material - making polymer clay with your own hands.

Make your own polymer clay

If you don’t have the opportunity or money to buy the necessary mixture for modeling, you can make it yourself. It is advisable not to use this option if you are making products for sale.

Self-created clay will differ from the factory version, because it contains other components.

Of course, this does not affect the process of creating the product in any way. But the service life of the product, the quality of appearance and other parameters may be impaired.

Even if you get perfect clay, you must admit that the time required is quite substantial.

The components given in the recipe are enough to create 700 g of plastic clay:

200 ml PVA;
2 tbsp. spoons of Vaseline;
60 ml lemon juice;
2 cups corn starch;
6 teaspoons of hand or face cream;
container for mixing ingredients (preferably glass);
polyethylene film.

After purchasing all the ingredients, we proceed directly to the creation process, which consists of three stages:

In a container, mix all the prepared ingredients except the cream.
After mixing, put the mixture in the microwave for half a minute, setting it to the maximum temperature.

Lubricate the surface on which the resulting material will be kneaded with low-fat cream.

This will prevent the mass from sticking.

Place the resulting mixture on the work surface, having previously mixed it after heat treatment.

The result of the whole process is the same clay as in the store, only with different components. But the mixture is not yet ready for use.

It should be given an oblong shape and wrapped with fabric. This will remove excess moisture from the mass.
After cooling, the self-made substance is ready for use.

Advantages of polymer clay

If needlewomen are looking for an answer to the question of what can be made from polymer clay, then the answer will be - almost everything.

This is the main advantage of this material. You can make jewelry, figurines, and decorative items from clay.

You have at your disposal the basic technology for making the product, and acquiring the material is not difficult.

What is created from thermoplastic differs significantly from work made from other materials. The finished product has a smooth texture, bright and rich color, and also retains its “brand new” appearance for a very long time.

Of course, if you correctly carry out all the stages of creating works from polymer clay.

What do you need to purchase for the process of creating a unique work?

In addition to the main material, the craftswoman should purchase additional materials that will simplify the process of making the intended item.

Some devices from the list described below may even already be in an ordinary needlewoman’s box.

To make clay products, in most cases you will need the following list of tools:

surface for kneading clay “dough”;
knife or blade;
cylindrical objects or a rolling pin for rolling out clay;
awl, needles (to create a small hole if necessary);
lids or molds of various diameters for cutting out figures from clay;
medical gloves that will prevent situations where unaesthetic fingerprints remain at work.

At first, you should not purchase a huge set that costs a lot of money. Still, at the beginning of your journey, you will have no idea what to do with these tools.

A novice craftswoman can make a beautiful product from clay even with the means at hand. And only then, having gained experience, you can purchase professional kits.

Techniques for creating a unique clay product

There are a huge number of techniques used to make polymer clay products. Some can be mastered by beginners without any problems, while others can only be mastered by experts.

Let's look at the most common of them.

1) Kaleidoscope

You can make such a pattern by rolling the material into “sausages”, and then giving it the desired shape. The process is quite simple, and the result looks very impressive.

2) Smooth color gradient

It is obtained by mixing clay in various quantities of different colors. Even a child can implement this technique.

3) Filigree

The existing workpiece is covered with finely chopped clay. The result is a unique pattern that can be made by attracting members of the household.

4) Cane

It is based on rolling out clay pieces, which are subsequently folded in layers into a roll-like shape. You can see a unique pattern on the cut.

5) “Salt” technique

It is necessary to make a ball of polymer clay, which is rolled in salt, and then sent to the oven for baking.

After a while, the material is taken out, washed under water and an original relief product is obtained.

If you set a goal, you can find even more techniques on the Internet. We have described only the simplest and most common ones, which do not require special tools to recreate.

The Axiom of Mixing Polymer Clay Colors

With all the abundance of paints and colors, you want to choose a unique range for your work. Children are taught to mix colors in kindergarten, but you can forget a lot until adulthood, right?

So you should repeat this ABC:

Baking polymer clay

Thermoplastic is fired in earthenware or ceramic dishes.

In order for all the convexities in the work to undergo uniform temperature treatment, it is necessary to use iron pins and place crafts on them. Next, the work is wrapped in foil and sent to the oven.

It will be quite difficult to fully understand the specifics of this process without the help of professionals. But if there are no such people in your environment, you can look through various courses on this type of craft.

In fact, the firing process does not require great skill.

The main thing is to set the desired temperature and time spent in the oven, which are indicated on the polymer clay packaging.

Opening the work with varnish.

When working with polymer clay, beginners make a lot of mistakes. One of these errors is fingerprints on the product.

To make them less noticeable, thermoplastic is treated with varnish.

Firstly, it will eliminate the defect of marks on the work, secondly, it makes the product more attractive, and thirdly, it will give the colors greater depth.

The following varnishes can be used to cover the work:

semi-matte;
matte;
colorless.

You can purchase varnish from thermoplastic manufacturers or in a specialized pavilion for needlewomen.

Revealing the work with varnish is as easy as shelling pears. The main thing is to make a soap solution before doing this and disinfect the surface for closer contact of the varnish with the coating area.

You can also use alcohol for disinfection purposes.

What tools are needed for sculpting with polymer clay?

Which ones are optional or interchangeable?

An experienced needlewoman shares useful knowledge:

3 interesting options for what can be made from polymer clay

This material is easy to use and lends itself well to various modeling techniques. In addition, it has a durable structure and a beautiful appearance after opening with varnish.

Let's look at the main types of things that can be made from polymer clay.

a) Flowers.

Beautiful flowers are made from clay to create pendants, brooches and simply beautiful decor.

Consider, for example, the process of creating a rose:

b) Costume jewelry.

About the beautiful and original decoration every fashionista's dream. A novice needlewoman can make simple and beautiful rings, bracelets, and pendants using basic techniques.

For the first job, the ideal option would be to create beads:

It is necessary to make a “sausage” out of clay and cut it into small pieces of the same size.
Next, roll each piece into a ball and make holes in them using an awl.
We send the almost finished work to the kiln for firing.
After heat treatment, the beads are given time to cool and they are opened with varnish.

c) Decorative items.

Using polymer clay, you can make refrigerator magnets, coasters, boxes, and various decorative elements.

The main thing is that all these products will be unique, absolutely inimitable. This kind of clay art will become the highlight of your apartment.

Here, for example, is a beautiful watch made from polymer clay:

I would like to believe that the reader has found the answer to the question, what can be made from polymer clay. This process does not tolerate fussiness, therefore, before creating a masterpiece with your own hands, you should abstract from all worldly matters and immerse yourself in art with your head.

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In this article we will talk about such a popular material today as polymer clay. You can make a lot of beautiful things from it.

Polymer clay is one of the most common materials for needlework. And no wonder, because it is very elastic and completely non-toxic, and the crafts turn out just fantastic!

Moreover, the variety of such crafts is amazing - not only decorations, but also many other things that will definitely decorate your life.

How to work with polymer clay?

So, first of all, let's deal with the fact that What should you stock up on when working with polymer clay?. Half of your success in work depends on the right choice.

Of course, first of all you need to stock up on clay itself, which is sold in special stores for handicrafts. There are enough brands:

You can buy a domestic version of the type "Tsvetika"- it is inexpensive, but unsuitable for sausage preparations. The color palette is not extensive, there are no special effects like mother-of-pearl or metal

IMPORTANT: The most noticeable drawback is that after baking, products from “Tsvetik” become very fragile.

Of the foreign brands, the most common is considered "FIMO"- it offers the buyer a large selection of colors that practically do not change after baking, suitable for a variety of techniques
There are the following types: soft Soft, standard Classic and interesting Effect with additives, transparency, sparkles and mother-of-pearl

"Premo"- is more similar to wax than the previous version. It is very easy to sculpt with. Well suited for sausages
"KATO"- with this brand you will have to suffer a little, since it is baked at a fairly high temperature. As for trying to knead the clay, this will be quite problematic if you don’t use a hammer
You can also pay attention for Polish products- it is strong and affordable. Well suited for use in sculpting. However, if you plan to make sausage blanks, such clay is of little use.
"Cernit"- recommended for those who want to sculpt dolls and imitate stones such as marble. This brand is perfect for those who want to add a touch of transparent to their products. Clay is similar to wax, it is advisable to knead it thoroughly before sculpting

What else can’t the creative process do without?

Without workplace, of course. For this task, it is best to find tiles or glass, since you will have to work with a knife. You can also use a thick sheet of white paper, but this is a last resort.
Knife You need the sharpest one, and preferably special for this kind of work. But if you don’t find one, you can use the stationery one. Pay close attention to the sharpness - the material should not be smeared as a result. And look at the price when choosing the “golden mean”, since cheap ones are very often dull, and expensive ones have an overly thick blade - these include, for example, Japanese

IMPORTANT: Do not use kitchenware under any circumstances! There is a risk of harm to health.

rolling pin also irreplaceable, but not plastic. The fact is that some types of plastic quickly deteriorate under the influence of polymer clay. But you can use a special roller for rolling out clay or
Toothpicks They will help well in making holes in beads, forming parts, and drying beads - it is very convenient to string round parts onto such sticks. Stacks are an alternative to toothpicks, but not made of plastic.
Buttons, pendants and other accessories will make crafts unique
To cut out details, in the absence of special molds, you can use caps or glasses
Emery cloths with waterproof effect They polish well and remove fingerprints from products. A dense material like felt or jeans will help polish
Lucky will definitely be required. You can use construction acrylics with a water base, but the brands Sculpey and Fimo are best suited

The basic rules for working with polymer clay are as follows:

The most important thing is maintaining cleanliness. The surface should be clean, as should your hands. It would be a good idea to stock up on gloves. And try to keep the work area free of lint.

IMPORTANT: Wet wipes will be very helpful when working. They will not only keep your hands and tools clean, but will also help smooth out unevenness in the material.

For softening clay You can use a special product called a plasticizer. Experienced needlewomen recommend the Moldmaker brand. A few peas of the product is quite enough for a pack of clay. As an alternative, creams, Vaseline, and a warming procedure are suitable.
There are also cases when the clay just sticks to your hands, especially fresh. Then you can mix it with harder clay or leave it on a white sheet of paper for several hours. But if paint has already gotten into the material, it’s unlikely that anything can be done
Varnishing of parts occurs in different ways. For flat ones, each side is processed in turn. It is better to first string the round ones onto a toothpick, which, in turn, must be stuck into the plasticine. You can also dip parts in varnish or apply it using a synthetic brush

Whatever clay is chosen, it must be properly used before use. knead- thanks to this, the material becomes plastic, soft and suitable for comfortable modeling

IMPORTANT: Do not ignore this step, otherwise air bubbles will remain in the material, which will transform into tubercles when the clay is heated.

Stock up on special baked gel- for example, such as FIMO liquid. Sometimes you need to glue a pin to a part - in this case, the hole for it needs to be made a little larger, taking into account the glue
Store clay sausages You need it in a film or a well-closing bag. Otherwise, they will not dry out, but will lose their plasticity and become brittle. This is explained by the evaporation of the plasticizer. It’s even better to put the preparations in the refrigerator

At what stage should you start sanding? After the parts are baked, but before varnishing. It is recommended to wipe the parts with a linen towel after sanding - this will make them look velvety.

IMPORTANT: Do not think that varnish will hide material defects. As a rule, he only emphasizes them. Therefore, it is worth taking time to polish.

How to bake polymer clay crafts?

The baking process should be discussed separately, but this does not mean that it is too complicated and requires a special oven.

This is not ceramics - here A regular oven is enough, after all the temperature at which many types of polymer clay harden is only 110-130 degrees.

What should you use to bake crafts? Never on dishes that are used for eating.
It is better to adapt a special baking sheet, covered, in turn, with accordion-folded paper for a creative impulse.
Much depends on what exactly is being baked. So, the beads will feel great strung on a toothpick stuck in the foil. It is recommended to place flat parts on glass or ceramic tiles
You can place the glass in a baking sleeve, and then take the craft out on the street - this is if you are overcome by doubts about toxicity

In general, to prevent the release of toxic substances, you must adhere to the temperatures indicated on the clay packaging. And even then it is necessary to work with a hood. After each use, the stove must be thoroughly washed.

IMPORTANT: If a smell appears, and the craft itself turns black and even charred, immediately stop baking and ventilate the room thoroughly.

If, after processing in a slab, the product becomes dense, thin parts are able to bend, and during subsequent drilling long chips are formed - everything is in order, you are on the right track.

Polymer clay crafts for beginners step by step: master class

Beginning needlewomen must first of all master master classes on making sausages from polymer clay. Having such sausages, you can later create spectacular details for various products.

So let's try to do the simplest strawberry sausages that even a beginner can do:

So, you will need pink, red and white clay. From white make a slightly elongated triangle, and from pink - layer about a millimeter thick

IMPORTANT: Before rolling out the layer, the clay should be thoroughly kneaded.

More You need to make sausages from white clay. You will also need red sausages.. Then they need to be connected to each other

Carefully wrap connected red and white sausages in a pink layer

The resulting red-white-pink sausage should be pulled out in length as carefully as possible. Approximately until it reaches a length of 12 or 13 centimeters. When stretched, the product should in no case lose its original shape.
And after that the sausage can be cut equal pieces

Now from scattered sausages strawberry is forming. Forming it is not difficult at all: the white sausage is wrapped in a pink layer and covered with sausages made of red and white clay in a circle.

IMPORTANT: Do not cover the entire core, leaving the bottom untouched, as shown in the photo.

Now the core turns around again, but this time with a layer of red polymer clay

At this stage The sausage needs to be stretched to a size that is convenient. Please note that for beads it should be thick and short, and for toy pieces it should be thin and long

And here is the final stage - baking! Do this for about half an hour, after which you need to cool the workpiece and cut it into strawberries
When properly manufactured, they should be easy to cut, resembling fairly dense rubber in structure

The described master class is intended for the simplified production of strawberry sausages. If you want something more naturalistic, then You can use a pasta machine.

It allows you to achieve smooth color transitions. As an analogy, take an acrylic rolling pin, but you will have to tinker with it longer.

Fruits made from polymer clay sausages can be used in manicures

Beginners can also practice on buttons- they are very easy to make, and the thing turns out beautiful and useful. So, for the most simple recipe manufacturing will be needed:

Actually, polymer clay
Acrylic paint, which can be used for decoration
Sandpaper
Sleeve in which baking is carried out
Some vintage button

So, to get started you just need roll polymer clay into balls. Choose colors at your discretion. Attach a button to the balls

Now with a thick needle make holes. Such blanks You can immediately wrap it in a sleeve and bake it at a temperature of 110 degrees

IMPORTANT: It is better not to use a baking sheet, as it is not always possible to thoroughly wash it, just like the oven. Even then, leave the oven door slightly open.

Processed with sandpaper baked buttons. You can carefully trim the edges
Now you can add the finishing touches, treating the products with paint or varnish

What to do if you want to make such a trinket, but don’t have a vintage button at hand? No problem: you can form the craft differently, and easy too!

Roll out the polymer clay into layer thinner. Attach a piece of lace to the layer, which you can probably find in any home. But before applying, be sure to lightly sprinkle the clay with water.

Now cover the workpiece with polyethylene- without it the cutting will be sloppy

You need to press the mold onto the layer. The mold can be of absolutely any shape

It’s easy to follow the resulting contours can be carefully cut future button

Using a toothpick holes are made

Blanks baked, cooled- and now they can be coated with acrylic paint

IMPORTANT: The item must cool in the oven.

Easy crafts made from polymer clay

It will be an easy and useful craft needle magnet. You will need:

Rolling pin and work surface
Mold
Polymer clay
Acrylic paint, brush
Lace
Sandpaper
2 magnets

You can get started:

Clay needs to be properly knead hands
Then her roll out
Using a cookie cutter desired contours are cut out. The edges are trimmed
Now to the preparation pressed lace
You can bake the craft in the oven. However, if polymer clay was purchased with the feature of self-hardening, everything is even simpler - you just need to give it the opportunity to harden
Sandpaper the product is being processed
And now You can also apply paint do it the way you want. If you want to decorate the magnet in some other way, now is the time to do it.
On the reverse side of the craft magnet is glued. That's all, it's completely usable! You need to apply a useful craft on a fabric that has been previously hooped.

IMPORTANT: Do not forget about the second magnet, which is attached to the back of the fabric attached to the craft.

The next easy-to-make and useful craft made from polymer clay is jar lid. The lid will outwardly resemble wickerwork, so any jar with it will look economical and cozy. You need to stock up on these things:

Any most ordinary jar lid
Polymer clay any shades. But to recreate the weaving effect, it is best to use beige, red, yellow, green, brown and dark blue.
If there molds- a special mold for creating three-dimensional figures - it will be very useful
PVA glue or liquid plastic
Orange and brown pastel
Green, yellow, white, red acrylic paint
Varnish, also acrylic
Device for rolling out polymer clay- acrylic rolling pin, glass rolling pin, if not available - an ordinary jar
A special machine for processing polymer raw materials, called extruder
Brush for applying paint. In this case, choose a thinner brush
A sharp stick or toothpick

To begin, take a piece of brown clay and rolls out into a layer. Please note that it must not be smaller sizes source caps
The source cover is lubricated liquid plastic or PVA glue

Now clay should be placed on the lid. It should cover the entire surface of the lid, but should not interfere with its closing. You will need to make cuts immediately - This will release air bubbles. As an alternative, you can pierce the clay - then the air will escape during baking, otherwise the clay will simply rise
It's high time roll the polymer clay into a sausage, then immerse it in the extruder. This needs to be done with brown and beige clay. The thickness can be any

IMPORTANT: If there is no extruder, you just need to gently knead the sausage so that the shades do not mix. After this, you need to gradually cut off pieces from it, rolling them into thin threads.

Now you need to weave the threads. To begin, take a bunch of four and place them horizontally on the lid. The ends should extend beyond the lid. Then take four more threads and place them on top of the previous ones, just perpendicular to them
Lay out the threads so that their ends diverge from each other according to the principle of rays
Take a couple more polymer clay threads and place them in the center of the improvised web. Start weaving according to the chess principle- threading the leading threads first over others, then under them. If you've ever made wreaths or baskets, you should be able to do it very quickly.

You need to weave the web to the edges of the lid. If the threads run out, new ones are simply glued to the old ones. After this, the weaving is carefully removed from the lid and transferred to paper
On the cover PVA or liquid plastic is applied. In the first case, you need to act quickly - before the glue dries

The polymer clay web returns to the lid. And now you need to complete this weaving with edging. It is created from six stripes intertwined with each other in a pigtail.

Now You can decorate the lid to your liking- for example, create flowers or berries from polymer clay, not forgetting to coat them with varnish

Lovers of weaving and simply useful little things will surely like it miniature ring box. We will make it in the form of a basket

You will need:

Clay
Wire, the thickness of which is approximately 0.8-1 millimeter
Stationery knife
Capacity, which resembles a basket. Cream jars are very suitable for this purpose.

So, let's get to work:

Roll out the polymer clay to a sausage shape.. Its thickness should be about 1.5-2 millimeters. It is best to use an extruder, but it is not critical if you do not have one at hand
This The sausage must be cut into pieces 3 centimeters long

IMPORTANT: Make sure the number of pieces is odd.

The container itself should be turned over. After this you can stick polymer clay slices on it

Carefully need to cut off excess parts pieces so that they are the same length

Now a circle is made from clay. It needs to be attached to the bottom of the container. For a better effect, it would be good to iron this circle with a toothpick.

The jar is placed in this form in the oven. The temperature depends on the type of clay, but 5 or 8 minutes will be enough. After baking, the jar is lowered into cold water, cools down and is freed from polymer clay

Roll the sausage as long as you can make it. However, it will be possible to connect sausages during the weaving process, which is easier to do with an extruder

IMPORTANT: After weaving, you should not adjust the basket from the sides, otherwise the natural effect of weaving will disappear.

If you want to complete the base of the basket, you can weave two-part braid and stick it on top. A You can stick a clay circle to the bottom from the inside- this will make the bottom more neat

All that remains is to make the handle of the basket, which is what the wire is useful for. Measure the desired length and bend it with an arc

The final stage is wrapping the handle frame with a polymer clay sausage. You must remember to leave 5 millimeters on both sides. Next, the handle is attached to the base, and this whole composition goes into the oven for 20 minutes

DIY polymer clay doll

A doll made of polymer clay will be an excellent gift for a child, and it will fit well into the interior of an adult. Of course, each doll is individual, but the general manufacturing nuances are still present.

Experienced needlewomen are convinced that the proportions of a living person are not suitable for a doll - the head turns out to be small and the arms are too long. AND the surest way to calculate proportions- this is to remember that one toy body is measured by seven heads. The palm is equal to the width of the face, and the foot is 1.5 palms wide.

Creativity should always start from the head, twisting a loop of wire. Foil should then be wrapped around this base.

IMPORTANT: Be sure to wrap the foil tightly.

Now polymer clay comes into play, which needs to be kneaded thoroughly, and then covered with foil. It is important to smooth out all unnecessary irregularities.

Perhaps the most time-consuming thing is start drawing facial features. It is necessary to highlight not only the eyes, nose, mouth, but also not to forget about the forehead and chin. There is no need to color anything yet - just a relief designation of features. And remember that the face should be convex.

After that the workpiece is placed in the oven. Baking temperature depends on the clay manufacturer's recommendations.

Hands can be done next- cylindrical pieces are formed from clay. They need to be rolled out.

Using a stack fingers are forming. It is very important to carefully separate them without damaging them. Next, give the handles a natural look by rounding their outlines and not forgetting about the folds.

Now You can sanitize your hands in the oven, having previously placed them on the wire.

Making legs begins, oddly enough, with the feet- they are made from parts, one side of which should be thicker than the other. The stack represents fingers and folds.

Pieces are attached to the feet, which are then transformed into a leg up to the shin. The legs are baked in the same way as other parts of the doll's body.

IMPORTANT: To attach the legs, take the longest pieces of wire, because they will form the main frame of the doll.

And now it’s time to put the scattered parts together general frame. To do this, a wire from the head is connected to pieces from the arms, and a long wire from the legs is screwed to all this. Where the doll's waist is planned, the wire should be twisted.

Now you can bake the doll.

And now the most interesting part begins - the formation of appearance. Recommended for face painting use acrylic paints and brushes No. 10. For the eyes you will need the thinnest brush.

As for hair, then you can use a wig for a good cause, forming your hair in parts. You can form strands from silk threads.

Or you can use wool for felting - it makes simply fantastic doll hair.

Outfit it can be sewn in any way, depending on the idea and the materials at hand.

Doll made of polymer clay by Canadian artist Martha Boers

Another polymer clay miracle from Martha Boers

DIY clay toys

You can make a lot of toys from polymer clay - it all depends solely on your imagination. Let's try to make this year's symbol in this lesson - fire monkey.

First of all, carefully knead the clay and create an oval from the orange piece- this is the future head of the monkey. Flatten it a little for the face
For body need to make another oval, only remade in the form of a drop

The head and body are held together like this so that the body is attached with the smaller side of the drop
A thin pancake is formed from beige polymer clay, on which you need to make a recess on top

IMPORTANT: A thin toothpick is just right for shaping pieces of polymer clay.

A beige pancake is placed on the head. And closer to the bottom. And the recess should “look” upward
Using Dots small dimples form for the eyes. The nostrils and mouth are designated using the same principle.
Roll two small circles from black polymer clay. They are placed with light pressure in the eye sockets
Roll 2 balls from orange and beige clay. Moreover, beige is smaller than orange. Pancakes are made from them. Beige overlaps orange

Polymer clay ears

The resulting ball is cut into two parts - these are the ears.. They are attached to the sides of the head with pressure. The joints should be smoothed out
You can make a monkey look playful with bangs- this is a small orange droplet, glued with the wide part up. The bottom one needs to be tightened a little
And now the arms and legs are formed from 4 sausages in the form of drops. For your hands, roll into smaller drops. Make indentations in the wide parts of all four sausages.

Form 4 drops from beige clay, and cut out fingers on their wide parts - these are palms and feet. Attach them to the indentations of the arms and legs

From orange clay tail is formed, pointed on one side, and also curled in the form of a question mark on the other

Now all parts of the body are attached to the torso, and the toy is baked

DIY clay sculptures

Garden sculpture is both interesting and functional. It is unlikely that you will want to spend money on buying a finished sculpture, but you can try to make one yourself. Eg, owl, for which you will need:

Capacity for mixing material approximately 5 liters
Approximately 6 cups of plaster of Paris
500 grams polymer clay, which itself can harden
Water
Skewers made of wood or thick wire, stacks
Plastic bag
Paint brushes No. 1 and No. 5
Owls will also be useful for decorating gouache, glass eyes, matte varnish, yellow and black nail polishes

So, let's start with the fact that you need to tightly lay a plastic bag in the bucket for mixing the material. Separately about 4 cups of gypsum are mixed

IMPORTANT: The consistency of the dough should resemble cottage cheese with sour cream. But there shouldn't be any lumps.

After kneading, the dough is transferred to a bucket- it will occupy a third of the capacity. The form in which the material was mixed is quickly washed out. Well, skewers are inserted into the dough so that they stick out halfway from the plaster. The plaster must be leveled and left to harden for 2 hours.
After hardening plaster is taken out of a bucket

Now you need to mix the plaster again to the same state, as last time. It is laid out on skewers. You need to form the outline of an owl. The container is immediately washed, and the workpiece hardens within 24 hours

And here the creativity begins: breaking off pieces of polymer clay, stick them little by little to the gypsum base

IMPORTANT: After breaking off a piece, immediately wrap the remaining polymer clay in cellophane, otherwise it will harden.

Then feathers are drawn- It is advisable to do this with the help of a pusher. Glass eyes are inserted

Formed from polymer clay back and wings
Black and yellow nail polishes eyes are painted. The advantage of this varnish is that it is transparent, and therefore will retain the shine of the glass.

But now you can get down to business tail. Moreover, for reliability, it must be formed in tiers and processed with a pusher
Are drawn wings

If there is excess clay left, you can make additional decorations in the form of a ladybug, for example. The owl is dried and painted with gouache. Top coated with matte varnish

Polymer clay cup

It is highly undesirable to make a cup entirely from polymer clay, since storing and serving food in it can have unpleasant health consequences. But decorating the cup is quite possible. For this you will need:

Polymer clay
Toothpicks, stacks
Utility knife or good blade
Pastel of the color you need for decoration
Room temperature water

Let's get started:

So first of all need to work on the sketch, because in the process it will be quite difficult to decorate at random
Now, based on the sketch, you can begin to attach polymer clay, recreating certain details. Help yourself with toothpicks or stacks
Once the clay outlines are formed, you can connect pastel- it emphasizes the 3D effect of the decor
Now burn the cup at a temperature of 120 degrees
And after this procedure polymer clay parts must be carefully removed from the cup. The best way to help yourself is with a stationery knife.
Rinse the cup with warm water. Dry it, degrease it
Carefully grease each of the decorative details with glue and attach them to the cup. Remove any glue that extends beyond the decor using a toothpick.
The vase now needs to be placed in the oven for about 20 minutes. Set the temperature to 120 degrees
Let the vase cool, coat it with varnish

We offer Another option for decorating a glass vase:

In this case, use stamps, stacks, or coloring pigment in the consistency of powder. Pour this powder onto a layer of polymer clay and rub it with your fingers to achieve smooth shade transitions. You can pre-designate patterns with stamps
Now cut out the figures from the plastic. You can use scissors, or you can use a stationery knife. Let the figures be of different sizes - it looks just great in design
The figurines need to be baked following the instructions on the clay packaging
Roll out another layer of polymer clay- the figures will be attached to it

IMPORTANT: The base layer must be equal in size to the glass vase. And in thickness it should be denser than the layer from which the decorative parts were cut.

Using glue, attach the base layer to the vase. Press in the details into this layer, helping yourself in this work with glue
Apply pearlescent varnish to the entire surface. It is recommended to use a large brush
Now place the vase in the oven for 5 minutes. Temperature - 265 degrees
So we only processed one side. Repeat this algorithm for others, remembering to let the vase cool after each baking

DIY clay flowers

Polymer clay makes great flowers for decoration. Eg, delicate sakura flowers:

First of all, make a sausage out of pink and white polymer clay. The color transitions should be smooth, for which you can use a pasta machine. But you will need a little clay, so you can try to shape it by hand
Once the sausage has rolled, cut it into pieces. a millimeter or 1.5 millimeters thick

IMPORTANT: It should be noted that a real tandoor is made exclusively from clay - only thanks to it will the stove have thermal insulation properties. What's really impressive is that it stays at a cooking temperature for about 3 or 4 hours.

What is the structure of this furnace? It is a clay vessel that tapers at the top - food is placed there. And traction is provided thanks to the blower at the bottom. The bottom is lined with brick, and clay, salt or sand is placed between it and the clay to retain heat.
In addition to all of the above, you will have to stock up sheep or camel wool - this will prevent the stove from cracking when installed high temperatures.
- So first of all you need to mix clay with wool. Pre-cut the wool into fibers of 10-15 millimeters
IMPORTANT: The consistency of the mixture should resemble thick sour cream and have a viscosity.
- This mixture should be left until it reaches a suitable state for at least a week. But during this time, stir the workpiece, otherwise it may dry unevenly. And make sure that water does not accumulate on top - otherwise the tandoor will become covered with cracks
- If the workpiece looks like thick plasticine at the end of the week, you did everything right! From such plasticine, mold oblong sheets, the thickness of which should be at least 5 centimeters. These are used to form a tandoor with a height of 1.5 meters, a diameter of the wide part - a meter, and a diameter of the neck - 0.5 meters
IMPORTANT: Be sure to leave a hole on the bottom side - it is necessary for ventilation.
- Leave this preparation for a month for complete drying
- Now you can cover the workpiece with bricks. The same clay is used as a solution. You can replace it with a mixture of clay, plasticizer and quartz sand
- The inside of the oven is lubricated with cotton oil.
- And now - kiln firing until it begins to resemble ceramics. The temperature rises slowly, so don't worry if it takes a day to burn
Polymer clay jewelry
Polymer clay makes excellent jewelry - bracelets, necklaces, rings. But they will be discussed in another article.
As you can already see, polymer clay is just a godsend for creative people. You can make a lot of excellent things from it that will bring positivity, comfort and benefit into your life.
You can hardly resist purchasing such a thing, and if you start to be interested in the process of working with polymer clay, you will hardly resist trying to make something yourself.
Video: Magic peonies made of polymer clay
Video: Bunny polymer clay
Video: Unreal sculpture from polymer clay

People began making products from natural clay back in the Stone Age. With the help of clay, our ancestors created tablets, dishes, jewelry, toys and much more. This activity is still highly valued. After all, clay modeling is not an easy job, it is a huge work into which a person invests his love and time. But despite all the difficulties, sculpting with clay is a pleasure. Whatever the result, you will be happy, because you sculpted this, perhaps not yet large, figure yourself, with your own hands.

This article will help you experience this happiness. In it you will learn the basics that will help you in further sculpting products.

Modeling clay

The first thing you need to do is choose the material from which you will create. Nowadays, finding good clay for modeling is not a problem. To do this, just go to any store that sells stationery for children. These stores sell gray clay, which is perfect for beginners. It is soft, comfortable and inexpensive.

For more complex creations, soluble blue or natural clay is suitable. It is important to remember that blue clay must be sifted before dissolving. But for natural clay you will have to arrange a test. To do this, try to make a figurine out of it and if you notice cracks in the final form, then such clay should not be used for modeling.

There are several types of clay that are not suitable for modeling - grainy and rough.

Modeling methods

After you have chosen clay, it is worth considering how you want to sculpt your invention. You can sculpt from clay using different methods. They are divided into 7 types:

Constructive.

The figurine is created from different parts, starting with the largest and ending with the smallest parts.

Plastic

The figurine is created from one piece of clay. All parts of the product appear by pulling out the main piece of clay.

Combined

This method combines the constructive and plastic methods.

Tape

Modeling can be performed using two materials:

Stripes
Plates

Relief modeling

Relief modeling can be done using several methods:

Drawing
Laying shapes on the base
Choosing clay

Plucking technique

This technique also considers several execution paths:

By sculpting from a ball
By circular molding

Spiral technique

The figurine is created using strands.

If you are sculpting for the first time, it is better to start with a whole piece of clay (i.e. using the plastic method), and then move on to more complex methods. For the plastic method, it is enough to have a piece of clay, imagination, a simple picture in front of your eyes and the most important tool - your hands. If you have experience working with plasticine, then you will quickly get the hang of working with clay.

After choosing the clay and sculpting method, you can move on to the practical part. Thanks to the recommendations that will be given below, you can quickly overcome the status of “beginner” and move to the level of “mastery”, i.e. to other, more complex methods of sculpting figures.

During the sculpting process there must be clean hands, clean tools and a clean surface.
If your product must include other colors, then start with darker and brighter colors and end with white

Some tips for working with polymer clay:

Sculpt on a smooth surface
You can use toothpicks instead of stacks
Polymer clay is prone to fingerprints, so use gloves to keep your project smooth and neat.
Choose your gloves carefully; they should be as tight as possible, otherwise it will be uncomfortable for you to sculpt.
If you need to cut something, use a utility knife

Product processing

Naturally, nothing ends with sculpting. After you have completed your figurine, it needs to be processed. This is done to ensure that your figurine has a wonderful appearance and remains durable for a long time.

How is the processing done? First, your creativity needs to be completely dry. Remember that dry
the clay is much lighter and lighter, so it will not be difficult for you to determine whether it has dried or not. Dry it

preferably first in a bag, and then, if desired, you can dry it and bake it in the oven. It is worth knowing that you can only burn a completely dry product over low heat.

After you have completed this lengthy process, proceed to the actual processing - apply white enamel to the surface of the figurine. White enamel will level the surface of the product. After leveling, you can paint the figure.

The last thing you can do is apply a thin layer of PVA glue. It will add shine to your product. But it can only be applied after the paint has dried.

Material rating

Price

Practicality

Appearance

Ease of manufacture

Labor intensive to use

Environmental friendliness

final grade

It is perhaps one of the most common and accessible materials.

The scope of its use is very wide:

Cosmetics industry;
Construction;
Concrete production;
Production of ceramic products;
Brick production;
Pottery;
Medicine;
As a dietary supplement for livestock.

What can be made from clay - from bricks to medicines:

Clay bricks can be either unfired or fired. At the same time, the latter have the greatest strength and properties useful in construction, so it is recommended to buy exactly this type of brick, or burn it yourself in the case when making adobe yourself.

Of course, it is better to buy a kiln, since such devices allow you to bake the material not only from above, but also from the inside.

There are 2 types of ovens:

Chamber. Provide for internal arrangement of heating elements;
Muffle. Here they are located around the muffle container.

The first type of device is preferable, as they provide the best baking of bricks.

House made of clay and straw

This material is quite cheap and can even be made independently, which allows almost everyone to significantly reduce the cost of construction. In houses that are built from adobe brick, there is always good humidity, air, and temperature in the summer. However, in winter it does not retain heat well, which is why the house will need additional heating.

If construction is to be carried out in a humid climate, then it is worth taking into account the properties of the material to strongly absorb moisture, which is why the bricks, especially on the outside, begin to crumble quickly. This can be avoided if fired clay bricks are used as cladding. The internal walls will need to be covered with a vapor barrier layer.

The adobe bricks are stacked on top of each other and connected with a mortar of sand and clay in the same proportions that were selected for making bricks. In this case, waterproofing must be carried out in the first row, and the corners are reinforced with reinforcing mesh. It is also important to distribute the load from the floor beams evenly, since adobe will not be able to bear a point load.

The video will tell you about the features of building such a house:

Foundation

Building a foundation on clay necessarily involves the use of important components such as crushed stone and gravel, since they provide the best strength. Since such soil has a very strong ability to shrink, it will be necessary to take this fact into account during construction, accurately calculating the entire load.

At the same time, it is important to know the groundwater level, since the farther they are located, the cheaper and stronger the foundation will be. In the same case, if they are close to the surface, then it is better to give preference to the pile type of foundation. You will first need to build a crushed stone or gravel bed, as well as build a drainage system.

How to make a clay brick with your own hands

Clay bricks made by hand are called adobe. This material is one of the most environmentally friendly.

To make it yourself, you will need the following components:

Sand;
Straw;
Water;
Clay.

There are no clearly established proportions, and they will be added to the bulk only depending on what density the solution needs to be obtained. The amount of other components will also depend on the quality of the clay and its fat content.

Preparatory work

Before you start making bricks, you will need to clean the clay from all debris and foreign impurities. If you plan to make a large number of them, all the clay can be placed in a bunch under the film, gradually using small parts.

The properties of the rest of the clay will only improve over time. You will need to take coarse-grained, clean sand, but the straw can be absolutely anything. The water must also be clean, since the quality of the resulting brick will depend on this characteristic.

You will first need to make a mold for adobe. It can be made of plastic, wood or plastic. There should be no bottom, and the optimal thickness is 36 mm. Once the drawing is prepared, boards of the required size are cut.

They are fastened together using self-tapping screws. In this case, the form can include several cells. For convenience, it is better to attach handles along the edges. It is important to carefully adjust the corners and make the inner surface of the boards sufficiently smooth.

This will be required so that the dried, formed adobe comes out of the mold well. Additionally, you can sprinkle the wooden parts with a layer of straw to prevent it from sticking.

Technology

The whole process can be divided into the following stages:

To mix the clay mass, you will need to dig a hole and then line it with waterproofing material. The bottom should be level and the walls vertical. In this case, the tarpaulin or awning must extend beyond these walls by at least 50 cm.
As soon as the hole is prepared, it will need to be filled by a third with water and poured in the selected proportion. After this, kneading is done with your feet. Liquid solution should not have any lumps.
Gradually you need to add straw to the mass, but only after it becomes homogeneous. If you add it earlier, it will not combine with the solution and will remain on the surface. You need to add straw exactly until the clay-sand mass becomes very plastic and thick. You should not allow puddles to remain in the pit, but you should also not allow the solution to dry out.
The adobe is loaded into a wheelbarrow and delivered to the location of the molds. They are pre-wetted, after which the mass is loaded into the mold with a shovel or pitchfork. Excess is removed with any flat object.
Before placing the next piece of adobe in it, you will need to wet it again, and then install it away from the already formed bricks in order to ensure air flow to them.
Subsequent batches are made in the same way, but you need to carefully measure the size of the batch and not leave a large amount of it in the pit. As soon as it dries, it will need to be diluted with water, but in this case it can lose most of its strength.

The brick dries within a week, but it will need to be protected from possible rain. The rate at which adobe dries will depend on how high the temperature and humidity are. Bricks can be stacked on top of each other for greater convenience.

How clay bricks are made on a production scale can be seen in the video:

How to coat a stove with clay

To coat the oven with clay, you can use a classic solution. To prepare it you will need to take sand and straw. To prevent cracking, it is recommended to chop the straw and use additional horse manure. This makes the mixture more homogeneous and the particles smaller. In this case, manure can be replaced with table salt, which will need to be added in the amount of 300g/10l of solution.

Some experts recommend pre-soaking the clay and leaving it overnight so that by morning it mixes better and more uniformly with the sand. Immediately before coating, the oven will need to be moistened with water, which will ensure better adhesion of the materials. You can apply the solution either with a spatula or by hand, and it can be leveled using a trowel.

After coating it will need to be left to dry. In this case, it is better to constantly circulate air in the room for better drying. This can be ensured by first opening the windows and doors in it.

Furnace mortar

Clay mortar not only provides the best adhesion between bricks, but also best withstands constant exposure to heat. The masonry seams should not exceed 4 mm, otherwise the clay will lose its properties for heat treatment and collapse.

The solution that is prepared for this purpose must be moderately fatty and plastic. If the mixture is too oily, then after drying it will crack, and the thin one will not be strong enough. That is why the amount of one or another component in the solution is always selected individually, taking into account the quality of the clay.

The clay mass for masonry is mixed in exactly the same way as in other cases, with the exception of straw. It should not only be uniform, but also not stick to the shovel or trowel. You can check the quality of the resulting solution by applying it to a brick and placing a second one on top. If after a few minutes it is very difficult to separate them, then the quality of the resulting clay is excellent.

Clay mortar for stove repair, preparation:

Clay floor

Before forming a clay floor, you will definitely need to lay a layer of gravel, since the vapor barrier layer in this case will not help to avoid the formation of condensation. The floor can be made cast or compacted.

To form a cast floor, you will need to make the same mixture as for making adobe bricks, but with the addition of gravel. It is important to choose all the proportions correctly, since an excessively large amount of clay will allow the material to crack, and a small amount will lead to looseness.

The mortar is laid in layers, and each of them must be even to prevent cracking. The first layer is the stickiest, while the second should be smooth. To obtain smaller particles, you can use chopped straw or, for example, horse manure.

A compacted floor is not considered a simple way to form a floor, but it can dry much faster than a cast one. The first two clay layers will need to be compacted with a special hand roller, while the third is poured and impregnated with a special solution. It is important that the clay mass required to form a compacted floor contains slightly less water and straw, but more crushed stones.

Technology for making a clay floor in a private house:

Compacting clay

The best way to compact clay is still considered to be compaction in formwork. At the same time, wooden boards are installed on it, after which clay mortar is poured into the resulting form in layers. At the same time, you can use pebbles, small crushed stone or polymer as additional material. In this case, compaction can be done either manually or using a vibrating plate. However, when making bricks from this material, a brick press is used, and a manual roller is used to form the floor.

Clay blind area

The formation of a clay blind area has been known for a long time, since this method made it possible to protect the foundation from moisture seeping into it. Construction from this material is most effective in a private home. In addition, it will be less expensive than using concrete.

You can highlight the step-by-step steps necessary to build a blind area:

Around the built foundation you will need to dig a not too deep, but wide enough hole with a slope away from it;
Sand falls to the bottom and a small amount of gravel, which will serve as a kind of cushion to prevent water from penetrating through it;
A solution of clay and sand at a ratio of 2:1 is poured gradually, in layers. Each layer can be sprinkled with small pebbles and compacted. The clay mass must be sufficiently strong and thick;
If you plan to make a path in the top layer, you can pour gravel onto the clay. But it is also permissible to leave it, since later grass will grow on it anyway.

A blind area made of clay is very good in its qualities, since this material, having absorbed water, will immediately stop letting it pass further, which will perfectly protect the house and foundation from moisture.

Product service life

Clay products can last quite a long time, but only if they are properly cared for and no mistakes were made during the manufacturing process. For example, a dried solution applied to the floor can crack even if it is slightly uneven, which significantly increases the difficulty of its use.

The service life of products directly depends on the properties of the clay itself, since it is used to purify water and wells.

It is better to sheathe clay that is used for buildings with waterproof materials and use other measures to protect it. In this way, the service life of buildings can be ensured for at least 3-4 generations.

Examples of adobe houses

House made of clay and straw No. 1 House made of clay and straw No. 2 House made of clay and straw No. 3 House made of clay and straw No. 4 House made of clay and straw No. 5